Grade 1 piano

[lorsa]

Hi! Looking for advice please! I am completely non- musical! My DS has been learning the piano for two years and is doing his Grade 1 in December, however I’m not sure if he is going to pass! We debated about him doing it this session and decided to go tor it (teacher said it was up to us) however his pieces are still hit and miss- particularly with rhythm and I worry that he might just play them really quickly in the exam!

He does practise for around 20 minutes daily. Scales are fine but sometimes a bit lumpy. Sight reading is okay if he remembers dynamics. Aural is okay but we have an app.

Has anyone got any tips about how to approach practice and preparing. He is now getting worked up when he makes mistakes. And I am spending a ridiculous amount of time thinking about piano!

Many thanks.

Hi Lorsa, deep breath now! December is an age away in learning music terms, plenty of time for it to come together. You can get away with a lot and still pass, particularly grade 1. I have one DC just past it and one heading that way maybe next term so I feel in practice with grade 1 pianos!

Some thoughts on practising.
Listening to the pieces will help solidify what the rhythm should be. If your music didn't come with a CD there are usually plenty of exam piece demos on YouTube.
Does he ever practice with a metronome (speed ticker)? You can get an app, no need for a physical machine. Really helped my DS getting speed steady and rhythm right. Or get DS to try counting aloud as he plays (maybe slowly), that can help too.

It's really positive that he notices and cares about making mistakes. How is he at fixing things? One thing I keep having to tell DC is to go back a few beats before it went wrong not just try to fix the note they missed. I try to get them to play the bit that went wrong three times correctly in a row before they go on to get the correct way "set".

This is the perfect time for picking things apart and fixing details. When he gets nearer to exam time he also needs to practice carrying on regardless. Most people make mistakes and still pass, main thing is to play musically and keep going. DS got a good distinction for his grade 1, if he played it mistake free in the exam it would have been the only time before or since.

My DD is doing grade 1 piano at the end of November and still a bit shaky, so don't worry! I second the two types of practice, the slow, careful, fix the mistakes, go over bits type and then the 'performance' when you keep going no matter what and smile at the end! Maybe you need to line up some appreciative audience members ( grandparents, next door neighbour etc) nearer the time who will give him practice at performing, after all, that is really a big part of learning, to play for an audience. Just make him aware that the examiner will be very neutral, will have a script they stick to so will probably say thank you , rather than well done! It can be a bit off putting for younger ones. You can watch videos of whole exams on the Abrsm website, there is a bit where you can mark an exam. This would give you both confidence and help you know what to expect. I will try to put a link later. My elder ones have done a couple of other exams so any questions just ask!

I was really worried my DD would fail her G1 piano and she was a couple of marks off a distinction! Don't make my mistake. Honestly I think you and he are expecting a lot more than the examiner will and I think you might be both stressing each other out. He can forget dynamics in sight-reading or start off too quickly in a piece, and still get a very good mark.

Daily practice of 20mins is a lot at this level what, 6-8 weeks before the exam. Say 7 weeks at 20 mins a day, that's another 100 hours' practice ahead of him for an exam that lasts, what, 14 mins or something? That's the equivalent of nearly 3 weeks' 9-5 FT work. I think you should both ease up a bit.

Oops fish, maths fail! 49 days X 20 minutes is not 100 hours, more like 16. Still loads though.

Oops yes appalling! Sorry!!

I also think it is not a bad thing to learn we don't always succeed in things the first time even if we try hard, but I think it unlikely your teacher would suggest putting them forward if they were unlikely to pass.

I'd say 20' a day is too much. Make a timetable, get everything, inc. sight-reading, covered each week but break it down. And the week before do a couple of entire run-throughs of the exam with him. Good luck.

If he is struggling with particular sections of his pieces, then devote some time to just looking at each of those during practice, rather than just replaying the whole pieces over and over.
As others have said December is a long time a head. Just aim to be ready at the beginning of the exam period, and hopefully you'll get a date further into the session.

Thanks for all the advice. I am hoping that my expectations are high although he does have lessons where his teacher seems very annoyed by his progress so it’s difficult to tell. I think he has been doing the pieces for too long- since January and he is fed up if them- so am I. Neither of us could bear waiting to March!

I’ll arrange my parents to listen appreciatively when they visit!

I take on board the idea that failure isn’t a bad thing either. Academically, he is very able and we wanted him to have something he had to work at.

I need to unclench a bit as I agree that I am probably projecting on to him! Will chill out a bit.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Oh wow, having the pieces since January seems way too long, how soul destroying! Music is meant to be fun. I hope his teacher doesn't just start him on the next 3 exam pieces! Maybe he needs a break for a few days! She may have misjudged where he was at in January but they need more variety than that. Well done to him for sticking in though. Remind him that practice doesn't make perfect, only permanent, so don't 'practice in' mistakes. Good luck, and hopefully he will get some nice new pieces afterwards!